So far, thought Bell, the branch manager was holding him off adroitly, as if he had been in business long enough to guess what was coming next from this seemingly casual visitor. The young detective said, “I would not be surprised if you have an inkling about the sort of question I am going to ask next.”
“Not one bit surprised,” the manager answered with a cool smile.
“The latest that went missing were railroad bonds. In twenty-five-thousand-dollar denominations.”
“May I ask which railroad?”
“It could have been one of many. The owner — previous owner, I guess we should say — had an affection for railroad bonds and owned a broad range, with various maturity dates and coupon rates of course.”
“Of course.”
“Of those stolen from his safe, we are particularly interested in three that were cashed within the week in a branch office of the issuing agent.”
“My branch office?” said the manager.
“Let me assure you that we are suggesting no impropriety on your part, and certainly not on the part of Mr. Court Held.”
“I should think not.”
“Surely not, in your case. But we do find, rarely but occasionally, that businessmen facing hard times will do very foolish things, so I am extremely happy to say that this has nothing to do with Mr. Held beyond the fact that the man who gave him the bonds in the course of a legitimate transaction might — and I emphasize might—be the man we have been investigating.”
The manager said nothing.
Bell said, “His name is John Claggart.”
“That’s not the man.”
“Sometimes he calls himself Henry Clay.”
“Not this time.”
“May I describe him to you?”
“Go ahead.”
Isaac described Henry Clay, ending with the eyes.
The branch manager of Thibodeau & Marzen said, “He called himself Smith. The bonds were on the New Haven Railroad, maturing in 1908, with a coupon rate of five percent.”
“Thank you,” said Bell, but he was disappointed. He had been half hoping that the manager would try to protect Claggart. With branches throughout the Midwest, Thibodeau & Marzen would make a good front for a private detective, or a provocateur on the run.
“I wonder if there is anything else I should report back about Mr. Smith. Is there anything he did that might help us track him down? I do hope I’ve made it clear that the firm regards him as a determined thief who will strike again.”
“You finally worked your way around to that, young man.”
“Anything. Anything odd?”
The manager stood up abruptly. “No, sir. Nothing I can recall.”
Bell stood up, too. He did not believe him. He had touched a nerve. And he had probably put him in the position he didn’t want to be. He said, “A man I’ve worked with who taught me my trade once told me that the hardest thing in the world is to get a man to do the right thing for the wrong reason.”
“What trade is that, Mr. Bell?”
“I’m actually a private detective.”
“I hope you don’t think I’m shocked by your admission. What agency?”
“Van Dorn.”